Fred Smith Plumbing & Heating

Recently the NY Times published an article making the case for the best time of day for your daily shower. Last month, we reported about compliance issues regarding regulations on cleaning and inspecting rooftop water tanks. It appears that compliance may get. Fred Smith protects your home with lead-safe work practices. We're US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certified to conduct Renovation, Repair and Painting Activities in target housing and child-occupied facilities under Section 402 of Toxic Substances Control Act of Toxic Substances.

There are many reasons why New York's premier residential buildings, institutions and private schools rely on Fred Smith Plumbing and Heating. Since 1914, our reputation has been built on high quality, fairly priced service and an impeccable attention to detail. On doing a job right the first time and doing it neatly. On never having to make excuses. We have over 120 trained professionals on staff and when you call Fred Smith, you always get a real live plumber on the phone-not a receptionist, or worse, an answering machine.

NYC has some of the finest drinking water in the country. Yet it can also be high in sediment as it makes its way down from upstate reservoirs. Add in NYC's aging infrastructure, unclean roof tanks, and legacy plumbing systems and you can see why water purification is good for you and your building. Filtering your water not only makes for happy residents, it increases water efficiency and extends equipment life - all while lowering operating and maintenance costs. At Fred Smith Plumbing, we combine a century of experience working with NYC water systems with the premier water treatment experts in the country: Culligan Water.

No one in NYC knows more about high pressure steam than Fred Smith. That's because, when many of the city's buildings were converted to steam after WWII, a large percentage of that work was done by our company. And we've been maintaining those systems ever since. There are various types of high-pressure steam valves that are used to reduce the pressure from approximately 160 pounds of pressure to the common three or four pounds that is utilized at radiators and heating units and, between one and ten pounds for hot water-heating equipment.

When it comes to heating systems, everyone has his or her own opinion-what's too hot for one resident is too cold for another. And while our heating skill and know-how for maintenance and repair are second to none, we don't cover tenant conflict resolution. With Fred Smith on the job, you can rest assured we will keep your heat, if not your residents, running smoothly. If the steam is not getting to where it should, neither is the heat. Steam leaks at piping and valves are the kind of problem we see and remedy quite often.

Grease builds up in the kitchen, hair clogs in the shower, even toy trucks flushed down the toilet. Trust us when we say there's no shortage of drain clogs in NYC and that none of them happen at a convenient time. No matter the issue, our courteous, professional plumbers are dispatched day or night and arrive equipped with the latest electric drain cleaning machines. With an entire truck dedicated to drain cleaning, we arrive equipped with all the drain cleaning equipment needed to clean the most common fixtures in an apartment or the largest house drains in residential buildings.

While the wonders of modern plumbing are myriad, seeing a plumber in your home is never wonderful. That's because said visit is usually precipitated by something going wrong. Plumbing systems are complex. Add to the fact that so much of your plumbing is invisible-behind walls, between floors, and in the basement-and it's easy to see why it's important to call in the experts whenever trouble strikes. We're all familiar with the common plumbing repairs of faucets and shower bodies, leaking pipes beneath the kitchen sink, and the common running toilet.

HVAC, the all-in-one system that provides heating, ventilating, and air conditioning simplifies things for residents, but makes maintenance a challenge. Fred Smith has the experience to keep even the most complex HVAC systems running smoothly. Since the same piping delivers chilled and hot water depending on the season, these pipes are used 24/7. Due to this continuous usage, it is not unusual for HVAC distribution piping to break down and need replacement well before a similar problem on a steam system would even be noticed.

NYC's first generation of roof tanks was built in the early 1900s to offer fire protection to the city's taller buildings. Our skyline just wouldn't look the same without its rooftop wooden water tanks. But roof tanks are more than interesting architectural conversation pieces; they're working parts of your building's operating systems and deserve care and maintenance on a regular basis. Roof Tank Cleaning is essential in order to keep the potable water clean and safe. NYC law requires all domestic water tanks to be clean, sanitized, and inspected annually.

At Fred Smith, it all begins with great leadership. Our supervisors have been with us for at least 22 years. That adds up to a LOT of collective knowledge. In many cases, our team knows the buildings we work in better than the people who actually built them. Philip Kraus is a recognized leader and innovator in New York City's plumbing and heating repair services industry and is known for cultivating top talent. He has served the cooperative and condominium real estate industry honorably for over 40 years.

We don't want to get all philosophical on you here, so we'll keep it simple-Our business begins and ends with our clients. When they're happy, we're happy. This recent memo from CEO Philip Kraus to the Fred Smith team sums it up nicely. There is only one boss. It is the customer. It is the customer who pays everyone's salary and who decides whether our business is going to succeed or fail. The customer does not care that Fred Smith Plumbing and Heating Company, Inc. has been around since 1914. The minute we start treating the customer without utmost respect, the customer will stop calling us.

First World War, that is. For nearly a hundred years, family-owned Fred Smith Plumbing & Heating has delivered exceptional service to New York's most discriminating residents, building managers, and Real Estate professionals. The firm was founded in 1914 by Fredrick Smith Sr. Current CEO Philip Kraus joined the company in 1980 as the firm's 9th employee and shortly thereafter entered into an agreement to purchase the company. Through Kraus' creativity, integrity, and vision (not to mention 80 hour work weeks) the company has since grown to over 120 employees strong.

As well as being the NYC's best troubleshooter on large, building-wide systems, we at Fred Smith pride ourselves on providing white glove service for private tenants and townhouses. For specialized plumbing repairs and fixture installation, including foreign-made fixtures, faucets and shower valves, you can count on our specialized skill, attention to detail, and remarkable neatness on the job. While the building is generally responsible for plumbing that is 'behind the walls' co-op and condo owners are usually responsible for the installation of any fixtures or appliances including: sink and lavatory faucets, shower bodies, toilets, bidets, external water and waste piping outside the wall, washing machine water and drain lines, refrigerator ice maker and gas appliance piping, and garbage disposals.

From basic apartment repairs to building-wide upgrades to ongoing maintenance, Fred Smith delivers a level of service and professionalism rarely seen anymore. Based in Manhattan, our expert technicians arrive on site within 15 minutes armed with the experience, know-how, and equipment necessary to tackle virtually any job. When you call Fred Smith Plumbing, you always get a real live plumber on the phone --- not a receptionist, or worse, an answering machine. Troubleshooting your problem begins with your phone call.

Pipes give water a path to travel, but it's the pumps that power the journey. Whether there's too much or not enough water or just an awkwardly located destination, a properly installed and maintained pump can mean the difference between comfortable and condemned. From booster to sump to fire pumps, Fred Smith Plumbing can help keep your building running smoothly. The first step in proper pump maintenance is identification. Make a list of all the pumps in the building and periodically perform a regular inspection to be sure each one is working and properly maintained.

They say we're all judged by the company we keep. And at Fred Smith Plumbing, that company includes some impressive organizations-people with values and work ethics much like our own. The list we've put together here includes everything from business and real estate associations we're a part of to architects and consultants we've partnered with to media outlets that cover New York's fast-changing real estate market. Better Business Bureau (BBB) provides accreditation for businesses who comply with the BBB Standards of Trust business practices.

You don't handle over 1,200 emergency calls in NYC every month successfully without teamwork. At Fred Smith Plumbing and Heating, that teamwork stems from the tightly orchestrated efforts of our executive team, eight field supervisors, nearly 100 mechanics, helpers and field personnel, and several NYC licensed master plumbers. What really sets every one of these people apart is their interest in, and concern for, the needs of our clients. Around here, job satisfaction is drawn from customer satisfaction and work that's well done.